Ten years ago Susan Helen Strok looked around the vibrant Prospect New Town and thought it would be the perfect place to begin an artist association and, naturally, the Prospect Artists Association Studio Tour.

"The draw in our town is the architecture, the unique architecture of our community," Strok said.

This makes the colorful community a perfect spot to open its artistic doors to the public. The Prospect Artists Association Studio Tour this weekend is a self-guided walk that will feature 13 artist studios and galleries in the Longmont community. The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Maps are available on the website, in stores in downtown Longmont and in Prospect shops. A preview of the exhibition is up through July 8 at The Great Frame Up, 430 Main St., Longmont.

"The way I feel about it," Strok said, "is when you show your work in your home, people get to know you better as an artist."

Strok is a figurative artist who utilizes her art to focus on the feminine form.

"I draw and paint mostly beautiful women," she said. "What I am searching for is their inner story."

She said there is a mythological influence to her work as she tries to capture women at different stages in their lives.

Russ Coburn, who began his artistic career as a high school student in 1968 at Boulder High School, describes his works as heirloom pottery. (Lewis Geyer / Staff Photographer)

"You can stand in front of it and get the feeling of what is trying to be said, what's coming out of the painting," she said. "I am trying to get women to engage with their feelings."

During the tour, visitors will have the opportunity to see the space where the creative magic happens and talk with artists to hear stories behind their works.

"There's nothing that compares to what we offer here. You can come and park once," she said, as all studios are within walking distance through the unique town of brightly painted houses.

As the Prospect New Town community has grown, and is in the last phase of new house construction, visitors will also have the chance to see the inside of these eye-catching homes during the tour.

The tour this year will also feature two galleries. The small community also offers plenty of other stops so visitors can make a whole weekend out the event.

"There's The Rib House and Two Dog Diner, Urban Thai, a coffee shop, a bagel shop, there's a park for them to sit in," Strok said.

Amy Mathews, who owns Impasto Art Gallery, 2015 Ionosphere St. #104, is a painter whose primary residence is in Lyons.

"(Impasto) is our second home, our home away from home," she said of the gallery that also houses her studio and her husband Jeff's office. At Impasto, Mathews hosts group shows that feature local and national artists. The couple opened Impasto two years ago after finding themselves drawn to the community after they often frequented the coffee shop.

She thought, "they have to have some sort of art thing going on here," so she sought out the Prospect Artists Association.

"It's fabulous to be around other artists and to be inspired by what they are doing," Mathews said.

During the studio tour, Mathews will be painting and discussing her work.

"Every piece of the artwork is a piece of the artist," she said, noting that it will be nice for visitors to find out more about the work. "As an artist you connect with who is buying your art, who's looking," Mathews said, "and I think that's important."

Brand new to Prospect, and the tour this year is the Russell Coburn Gallery, which just opened in town on June 8.

Coburn, who began his artistic career as a high school student in 1968 at Boulder High School, describes his works as heirloom pottery.

"There was a feeling of recognition and something I felt an immediate connection to," Coburn said, "and, of course, clay is one of the base materials of the earth."

Coburn described his process as taking something of no value and turning it into something of great value.

His interest in pottery lead Coburn to study archaeology and pre-historic pottery. From an artistic perspective, he said he could see how artifacts were created, which led him to discovering the connection between his work and the past. Coburn sourced some of his material from his land he owned in the southwest that had prehistoric Native American ruins on it.

"That connection was huge," he said, "When I study the Anasazi, it was almost like a past life experience for me."

Coburn recently returned to Colorado after owning galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He said he was in search of somewhere to show his work and found it was easier to create his own space.

"The super creative architecture, the colors, the layout of the community," he said of what drew him to Prospect. "It's like going back and finding Mayberry with Opie and Andy."

It was the small-town feel with the artistic side that made him think it was a good fit.

"I feel like I can contribute," he said.

Due to the messy nature of his work, Coburn will leave the clay in his private studio during the studio tour, but he will have a few items on hand to discuss the process. He will also share the gallery space with photographer Elliot McDowell, which he said of the photographer's work: "It's creative, it's not just taking a landscape photo but there is a lot of composites."

"His stuff is world-class to me, I am honored to have him the gallery," Coburn said.

Coburn said the studio tour also gives him a chance to become more involved in the community, all while meeting people who may be interested in pottery.

"When I see people light up when they look at something, it reinforces things inside of me, even subconsciously," he said.

Coburn said he hopes that sharing his process, history and where his work comes from, will offer visitors a chance to connect with the pieces.

"When you meet an artist and you know more about the process, I think everybody likes to take a piece of that home," he said.

Strok said the 10 year mark of the tour is a big milestone for the artist community.

"It's nice to see (the tour) was embraced by the community," she said.

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